Toms River Man Who Stole $100K From Blind Woman Gets 7 Years

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River man who stole $100,000 from a legally blind elderly woman he befriended has been sentenced to seven years in prison, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced Friday.

Tyler W. Dietlmeier, 28, was sentenced to seven years in prison on a charge of theft by deception and to four years in prison on a charge of coercion by Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. The sentences will run concurrently.

Dietlmeier, who pleaded guilty Oct. 23, also will be required to make restitution to his victim.
The fraud was reported to Toms River police on Jan. 27. Investigators learned Dietlmeier had befriended under false pretenses a 73-year-old legally blind woman who lived alone. He opened numerous credit card accounts in the victim's name without her permission, added his name as an authorized user to her existing accounts, increased the credit limits on existing accounts, and changed the phone numbers on some of her accounts so that any fraud alerts from the credit card companies would go directly to him, the prosecutor's office said.

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Dietlmeier also rented cars using her information, and accessed her bank accounts. In most cases, Dietlmeier used the victim's credit cards to buy gift cards that he then sold for cash.

When the woman realized something was wrong and questioned Dietlmeier about it, he threatened to harm her and her family if she reported her concerns to law enforcement.
Dietlmeier was arrested Feb. 6 in Plainsboro and has been in jail ever since, Billhimer said.

"This defendant’s behavior was reprehensible," Billhimer said. "He took advantage of an elderly, legally blind person that lives alone. We will remain vigilant in our duty to investigate and prosecute crimes committed against the most vulnerable members of our society."

Assistant Prosecutors Christopher Heisler, Taylor Toscano, and Timothy Kelly handled the case on behalf of the state.

Toms River Township police officers and its detective bureau, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Warrant Division, which arrested Dietlmeier, took part in the investigation.

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